Design

GTA Vice City — GTA San Andreas

The Rancher is a medium-sized SUV designed with off-road capabilities in mind, featuring large tires, soft suspensions and a high ground clearance. Despite its size, the two-door Rancher is only capable of holding two occupants, as it rear compartment is not capable of carrying passengers, similar to two-door pickup trucks in the series. In general, the Rancher resembles a 1981-1988 Chevrolet K5 Blazer (but with added turning signals and different taillights). The camper shell is permanently placed over the bed, and cannot be removed unless a modification is used.

GTA IV

The Rancher in GTA IV, now manufactured by Declasse, resembles a Cheyenne Trim 1989-1991 K5 Blazer; the taillights and the slight lean of the rear of the cab resemble 1980-1996 Ford Broncos. The GTA IV rendition, also features variants of the Rancher with or without a camper shell. Pickup variants of the Rancher may also include a roll bar with top-mounted offroad lights, a brush guard, or a bull bar. All variants of GTA IV's Rancher also feature nerf bars. The rear bed-lids of pre-GTA IV Ranchers are hinged to the top, while those of the GTA IV rendition are hinged at the bottom on the truck bed, with an additional glass lid hinged to the top for the camper shell variant, similar to its real-life counterpart. Also, the pickup variants may or may not come with boxes loaded.

Performance

GTA Vice City — GTA San Andreas

The Rancher is one of the better SUVs in both GTA Vice City and GTA San andreas. Performance is only average, but its chassis is better. Its handling is above average. The suspension is soft, which makes the car quite comfortable, even on broken surfaces such as railroad tracks.

GTA IV

In Grand Theft Auto IV, the Rancher is not a on-road performance oriented vehicle. Its suspension consists of solid axles front and rear, as opposed to the independent suspension on more refined SUVs and pick-ups. This layout, coupled with a powerful V8 engine, means that on-road cornering is an erratic affair, with plenty of sliding and body roll.

However, the old-fashioned suspension, together with 4WD and a easily controlled engine, starts to pay off when the vehicle is taken off-road. In the hands of a skillful driver, the Rancher is an excellent off-roader. The high ground clearance means boulders are negotiated with ease. The solid axles keep the vehicle planted, although the driver must always be wary of the risk of a roll-over (due to the high center of gravity). The Rancher's top speed is 81 mph, or 135 km/h.

Variants

FBI Rancher (GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas, GTA Chinatown Wars as the FIB Rancher and GTA Vice City Stories by using CheatDevices)

A unique black Rancher can be obtained in GTA Vice City after "Test Track" is completed three times, each time beating your previous record. On the next attempt, a PIG driving a black Rancher will appear and start driving around the track as well. The player is free to steal it from him and save the car in a garage.

A unique Rancher (internal name "rnchlure") is spawned with the spawn a Rancher cheat in GTA San Andreas. The vehicle's internal name suggests that it was intended for use in the mission "Lure", however a regular Rancher is used in that mission. The only distinction of this variant from the normal Rancher are its black-tinted windows (which obscure the occupants of the vehicle, a central element of the Lure mission). Unlike the normal Rancher, the "rnchlure" version cannot be exported or modded at mod garages. (GTA San Andreas)

A Rancher in GTA IV is among a range of cars requested in Stevie's Car Thefts, featuring a unique blood red and light gray body color. The Rancher may come with or without a camper shell, as well as one of a range of accessories, much like a regular Rancher.

The Rancher and Police Rancher appear in Bully. It is however undrivable because the protagonist Jimmy Hopkins is only fifteen years old. He can also hold onto the backs of vehicles while on his skateboard.